Free will vs. addiction

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when a person is addicted, he has formed a habit that isn’t easily stopped

so how does this work with determining a gravity of a sin? mortal sins require full knowledge and consent. a person with an addiction may lack full consent to his actions. people with additictions have difficulty withdrawing from their additction even if they conciously want to

for example, smoking. a person may start smoking very young through peer pressure. especially in the years past, a person may not be aware of the evils of smoking (that he/she is causing harm to one’s health and possibly others). no grown up and fully aware, we know the person can’t just quit smoking just like that. so even with full knowledge that they are doing harm to their bodies, how much of a sin is smoking when you’re trying to quit, but can’t in an instant. which means you’re still smoking
 
did i make it too complicated?

simply put, is someone who’s in the midst of an addiction considered committing a mortal sin? given that if you have an addiction, even if you are fully aware of your actions and the gravity of it, whether you have full consent or not is the question
 
No, you explained it well.

Absolutely, addiction can play a part in one’s culpability for sin. It’s not a complete get-out-of-jail-free card, but to some extent at least it’s not free or free consent if one is controlled by an addiction.
 
Addiction a progressive stage of a sin where the person has of their own freewill to a substance to the point where it has become an obsession and has taken more control over that persons life. It doesn’t change the fact that the person original opened the door freely for the substance to come in to their lives. It is like letting a dangerous animal come into your house and now it doesn’t want to leave and is taking over the whole house. There is fear that if you don’t get it out eventually it will devour you. You want it to leave but you keep feeding it. The addict is no less guilty of the sinful and foolish behavior because now it has come back to bite them, its just that they now need help to get it out of their lives.

IMHO
 
If the person has confessed the original sin of starting the bad behavior to which he is addicted then he is no longer culpable of that sin (starting the behavior). If a person is truly addicted then his culpability for that sin is less than for a person who is not addicted. Thats not to say that he is excused, but that God will view his sin to the degree in which he is culpable (which only him and God know).
 
Wollie said:
If the person has confessed the original sin of starting the bad behavior to which he is addicted then he is no longer culpable of that sin (starting the behavior). If a person is truly addicted then his culpability for that sin is less than for a person who is not addicted. Thats not to say that he is excused, but that God will view his sin to the degree in which he is culpable (which only him and God know).
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Anyone can overcome an addiction with God’s help. Unfortunately many make a freewill decision to not seek His help and to continue abusing substances which has now become a false god to them , more important to them than God, their families and themselves. Contrary to the first commandment. “YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME”

CCC 2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons, power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, "You cannot serve God and mammon."44 Many martyrs died for not adoring "the Beast"45 refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.46

CCC 2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

CCC 2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.
 
i have no doubt that anyone can cure an addiction, most especially if the seek God’s help

however, addictions are not cured in an instant in most cases. so my question will go to those who are trying to get better, but at the moment would lapse into the addiction from time to time
 
I think it depends very heavily on the strength of the addiction. Some highly addictive and extremely harmful drugs and behaviors can compromise your culpability, but as Newbie2 said, it’s never a get-out-of-jail-free card

Smoking is not a very good example because smoking itself is not intrinsically sinful. At worst, it is an imperfection (and at best, a virtue :D.) There are very few drug-related addictions that free will cannot conquer. Smoking is not difficult to stop if you actually desire to stop.
 
choy said:
i have no doubt that anyone can cure an addiction, most especially if the seek God’s help

however, addictions are not cured in an instant in most cases. so my question will go to those who are trying to get better, but at the moment would lapse into the addiction from time to time
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I think the most thing is to not get discouraged. Christ fell 3 times while carrying His cross and eventually needed help to carry it. But each time he got back up and made His way up Golgatha where he was victorious against evil.
He knows that in life we will fall from time to time and He asks us to pick up our cross and follow Him so that in the end we can share in His victory. Remember He promised to be never abandon us and that we would never be tested beyond our ability to endure. The thing is never give up the struggle and give into the addiction permanently. Keep seeking God’s help, repent of your failings, pick up the cross again and follow Him.
 
choy said:
when a person is addicted, he has formed a habit that isn’t easily stopped

so how does this work with determining a gravity of a sin? mortal sins require full knowledge and consent. a person with an addiction may lack full consent to his actions. people with additictions have difficulty withdrawing from their additction even if they conciously want to

for example, smoking. a person may start smoking very young through peer pressure. especially in the years past, a person may not be aware of the evils of smoking (that he/she is causing harm to one’s health and possibly others). no grown up and fully aware, we know the person can’t just quit smoking just like that. so even with full knowledge that they are doing harm to their bodies, how much of a sin is smoking when you’re trying to quit, but can’t in an instant. which means you’re still smoking
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I think that the addicted person does have full consent at least to the point where they can’t say its not my fault. True God considers all the circumstances in that person’s life, whether they were raised in a home where substance abuse was prevalent, whether it stemmed from a pain medical condition regime. As far as culpability there is a difference between an addict who was given drugs by thier parents and another who started taking drugs to be cool or rebellious against authority. But that may mitigate some guilt but there comes a point where the Holy Spirit prompts that person with the knowledge that what they are doing is against His will, and that is when the person must decide whether to continue or change the behaviour. If they refuse to hear and obey the promptings Holy Spirit until the end it could be spiritually fatal.
 
This is just my 2 cents worth, but it might help to consider a couple of things when talking about addictions; there are many forms and often times they are a means of “avoidance” (eg., feelings, people, situations). Some people may use work to avoid, or computer games and internet, sex, shopping, and even some things that seem good for us like being a fitness nut. Intentionality plays a big role!
When looking a spiritual programs, like AA, for example, the whole premise is that no human power can relieve us, but there is One who can, and that One is God. Turning our will and our lives over to the care of God is the often the only way. Purely abstaining is often not enough to deal with our situations. In our present times there is a 12 Step program for almost every addiction. So, Choy, keep doing what you need to do to break the physical addiction to smoking, but definitely allow this time to bring yourself closer to God. We love to take control of our own lives and find ways to justify everything we do (I’m too stressed out right now to quit smoking). But TRULY (not just in word) entrusting our lives to God will work miracles!! I believe this is what God wants for us.
PS I’ve loosely paraphrased from the AA Big Book
 
choy said:
when a person is addicted, he has formed a habit that isn’t easily stopped

so how does this work with determining a gravity of a sin? mortal sins require full knowledge and consent. a person with an addiction may lack full consent to his actions. people with additictions have difficulty withdrawing from their additction even if they conciously want to

for example, smoking. a person may start smoking very young through peer pressure. especially in the years past, a person may not be aware of the evils of smoking (that he/she is causing harm to one’s health and possibly others). no grown up and fully aware, we know the person can’t just quit smoking just like that. so even with full knowledge that they are doing harm to their bodies, how much of a sin is smoking when you’re trying to quit, but can’t in an instant. which means you’re still smoking
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Addiction is a sin because it is a form of idolatry. You become a slave to what you are addicted to and you allow it to rule over your life; in a sense you become the objects servant. Jesus tells us that you cannot serve God and mammon, and that doesn’t just apply to money. Someone who says that they are incapable of quitting is a liar, because you can overcome any addiction if you really intend to do so.

One example I have is my brother, who smoked from 19 to about 30, and then just quit. It wasn’t a long drawn out process, and he didn’t buy anything from the store to assist in his quitting. He just quit buying cigarettes. He said he felt that all the claims of going through withdrawals are mainly just a mind trick brought on by society teaching us that ‘oh, you will go through withdrawals if you quit!’. Granted some drugs have some bad side effects when the person comes down off them, these are only temporary and can be overcome by someone willing to quit using.

There is no excuse for an addiction.
 
CCC 1860 in part says "[t]he promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders (emphasis added). Father Corapi has described this as the mitigation of severity of the sin, yet he is quick to point out when in doubt go to reconciliation.
 
Addicts are the only ones who truly have any business commenting on this. If your not an addict and you comment on the topic you expose yourself to seeming like a complete ignoramus.

For example ‘anyone can cure addication’ “Addication is a sin because it is a form of idolatry”

Goodness gracious…
 
I know a man who says he was masterbating at the age of 3 and he still has a problem at 60. How can you say that he sinned at age 3 or is seriously guilty at 60?
I don’t know, but I would think that in a case like that the sin would not be serious.
 
First time posting here, hello!! I am 23 years clean and sober and also a substance abuse counselor. A sin is anything that seperates us from God, so addiction is a sin, yes. 85% of drug addicts and alcoholics have underlying mental health issues.( either it came first or as a result of damage to brain chemistry from using) 80% of female addicts have some history of sexual abuse. i have clients that if it wern’t for the numbing effects of drugs and alcohol could not have survived the trauma. Cigarette smoking is different. Nicotine is the most addictive substance on the planet. The Lord is merciful, pray for addicts. And for anyone reading this please remember that cold turkey withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazipines can kill you (other detox’s cold turkey will not), so get professional help to medically detox. There is a Catholic meeting called the Chalix Society. Similar to AA but with a priest who acts a group chaplin and reception of the sacraments and Catholic spirituality are the basis of the groups recovery process. This was a great topic!!
 
None of you have any authority to judge anyone and what they do. Do you not remember "Judge not, lest you be judged” (Lk 6: 27-38)? Everyone of us commits mortal sins, most of us on a daily basis. Do we constantly want others judging us? Just because someone is addicted to something does not mean they are going to hell. I smoke - I’ve been smoking for 30+ years. Am I going to hell for it? Probably not. My husband was an alcoholic and died from this disease. Is he in hell? No.
 
I knew people addicted to alcohol and drugs.growing up in the sixties , almost every priest and school teacher i knew smoked.Even after the indisputable health claims were made and also about the second hand smoke.Does this mean they sinned every time they bought a packet of cigs, I.e occasion of sin?did they sin when they smoked in front of vulnerable students ?i know some of them smoked 20-40 cigs a day.Now these same people would chastise another person for over imbibing in alcohol and certainly even touching an illegal drug. remember it wasn,t so long ago ciggies were promoted all over the place , movies , ads and famous glamorous people all had their ciggie holders and gold cases…Drinking alcohol has more immediate signs of over use , cigs . don;t show up for years ,so is it less a sin ?cigs. smoke can reach a lot more people than alcohol .I smoked and quit but I know a lot of people who struggle with it .I hope they,re not all condemned to hell as I hope alcoholics are not either.Walk a mile in someone else,s shoes before you open your mouth Anne C
 
Addictions have varying levels. Some are easier to break than others. For example, addiction to smoking is a difficult habit to break, as withdrawal has physical effects as well as mental. Physical effects can really make an addiction difficult to break.

Even worse is heroin. It is one of the most addictive substances on Earth.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_addiction#Addictive_Potential

Withdrawal from such a drug is incredibly painful for an addict, and would take an incredibly rare and abnormal amount of willpower to go through. In fact, it is entirely possible that such a withdrawal could lead to death.
 
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